Ninety Nine Days
by Grav
Summary: We mourned their passing for ninety nine days. And then we got really confused. Runs concurrently with WoO.
1. Today

AN: You know those stories that hit you at two o'clock in the morning? Yeah. It was either this or hop-scotch.

I actually have no idea where this came from, only that is did. After I thought of the idea, I read over the script for WoO, and discovered that Sam says the Tok'ra had been trying to contact Earth for three months, which I elected to make 92 days. When you add Major Griff's week, you get 99 days, and suddenly I had a title and a summary. And then I was really off to the races.

Spoilers: 100 Days (although really, all I did was shameless exploit the title and one of the lines), Window of Opportunity (but it's not what you think! Unless you've read my mind, of course).

Disclaimer: A limerick

There is this great show on TV,

Which is most entertaining to me.

Though I've written this story,

I own none of the glory,

Which means you get to read it for free.

Summary: We mourned their passing for ninety-nine days. And then we all got really confused.

................

Today

Mission Report: SG3, Major Griff reporting.

SG3's mission to P3X-187 has been extremely successful. The locals, who call themselves Verans, are eager to meet with other humans. In particular, their historians wish to speak with Dr. Jackson. The Verans are a pacific people, but they do have technology for agriculture, construction and medicine that I believe would benefit Earth, and they are willing to negotiate for trade. I was, in fact, going to recommend that SG1 be sent ASAP, until the morning when I attempted to dial Earth and got a busy signal.

After trying every fifteen minutes for five hours without success, I decided to dial the Alpha-site. This was successful, and my team passed safely through.

When I reached the Alpha-site, I realized that I was the ranking officer, as both Lieutenant Colonel Harris and Colonel MacTavish were on Earth for their monthly briefing with General Hammond and the Joint Chiefs. As such, I assumed command. For six more days, we attempted to dial home, and the wormhole refused to connect. Our science teams have been working around the clock, but have been unable to solve the dilemma. Also in those six days, we were joined by three other SG teams. To my knowledge, the only team that was off world that has not reported in here, is SG12, and as of this time, I have no idea what has happened to them. All of the other teams reported that they too were unable to establish a wormhole with Earth.

Today is day seven, and we have sent a message to the Tok'ra.

....................

Selmak rather enjoyed being human. To hear Anise go on about it, one would think that Freya's people had it the best: idyllic climate, pleasant life style, low mortgage rates. Even Lantash, bless his dear departed. . .soul?, had spoken for hours about the various joys that filled the days of Martouf's brethren. But Selmak knew she had it pretty good. Earth might have poverty and war, but its inhabitants had invented maple syrup, and that was good enough for her. Most of the time.

It was those few and far between times when Jacob's humanity reared its annoying head that made her want to throttle him. Metaphorically anyway. And this was one of those times. It wasn't that Selmak was unconcerned. In fact, she was very concerned. Samantha was, after all, sort of her daughter, and Earth was, after all, sort of important to the Tok'ra. But did he have to pace? Back and forth, back and forth; he was giving her motion sickness. Not to mention what he was doing to the rug. She was more than a bit tempted to make him eat it.

Luckily for both of them, the rug and her host that is; she could turn off her connection to his taste buds whenever she wanted to, the door to the High Council Chamber opened, and the Chair announced their presence. Selmak, who was, after all, almost human, wasted no time in beginning their report.

"This morning we received a communication from Earth's Alpha-site which told us that they had been unable to contact their home planet for six days." Selmak paused so that Jacob could get a word in edge wise. "I know you all know I have a personal stake in this, but in the spirit of our new alliance, I think we should extend as much help as we can, both in securing the Alpha-site and in trying to contact Earth."

There was a general murmur of consent in the council room.

"Your attempts to dial Earth were also unsuccessful?" High Councilor Persus asked. "And I assume you would like to take a ship first to the Alpha-site and then to Earth?"

Jacob nodded. Selmak exerted every ounce of will she possessed to make him stop wringing his hands. Were these people never still?

"Very well then," the High Councilor continued. "We cannot offer more than a few operatives and one ship, but you have our permission to go. We will continue to dial Earth from here."

"Thank you, High Councilor." Selmak responded when she realized that Jacob was too worked up to answer rationally. "We shall depart within the hour."

.......................

Mission Report: Temporary SGC, Alpha-site. Major Griff reporting.

It is now day 10 and we are still unable to reach Earth. This morning, a Tok'ra ship landed, and General Carter and Selmak were on board, as were two other Tok'ra. General Carter has offered to take an SG team to Earth, while his compatriots remain here and assist the science teams. I have accepted his invitation, and decided, with the general's advice, that SG3 should be the team to go, with myself in command. I have placed Major Adams in command until I return, or a more superior officer arrives through the Stargate.

I have left orders that Earth is to be dialed hourly and that messages are to be sent to our other allies, particularly Master Bra'tac on Chulak.

To say that I am not nervous would be a lie, but I am confidant in the abilities of SG3 and the teams remaining here. If Earth needs to be retaken, we will retake it. I know SG1 is on Earth, and I am sure that they are doing everything they can. Still, I will feel better when we have arrived home and done a basic recon of the base.

............................

Selmak chafed at the delay. Literally. Jacob could feel her in the back of his neck. It was most unsettling, but as long as she stayed away from his central nervous system and his larynx, he didn't mind. He did pace a lot, after all.

[What is taking so long?] she asked plaintively. [Were they not expecting us?]

[Yes they were,] he replied. [But there are things that Major Griff has to do before he goes.]

[You mean paperwork.] She could never understand the human need to commit things that everybody already knew to paper. [Why can he not just tell Major Adams and we be on our way?]

[It's a military thing,] he said, shrugging.

[I have asked you not to do that.]

[Sorry. It's an old habit.]

[Well, break it! When your clavicles alter their alignment so abruptly, your spine contracts in a way that makes me very uncomfortable.]

[Maybe I'll take up discus. Or yoga! That's very in right now.] he said, flashing her a series of images.

[Don't. Even. Think. About. It.]

[Contractions? You must be really angry.]

[Can we go now?]

[Yes,] he said, smiling in spite of himself. [Here comes Major Griff now.]

Major Griff was a little beyond Selmak. For all she railed against Jacob's sarcasm and disregard for certain aspects of the way things were supposed to be, she could cope with him. She simply could not deal with Griff, so she happily stepped aside and let Jacob do it. They reached the top of the boarding ramp just as SG3 reached the base.

"Permission to come aboard, sir?" Griff asked.

[Is that ever denied?] Jacob ignored her. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard, Major."

And the SG3 marines snappily boarded the shuttle.

Jacob and Selmak took their seat at the control panel and began the pre-launch sequence as SG3 stowed their gear in the back. After the shuttle was airborne and had cleared the atmosphere, Major Griff came forward to sit in the co-pilot's chair.

"What is your plan, Major?"

"With your permission, sir, we'd like to Ring down on to Cheyenne Mountain, the emergency co-ordinates, not the regular ones. That way, we can see what's going on and infiltrate the SGC if we have to."

"Is that even possible? I thought the whole point of the SGC was that it was supposed to be uninfiltrateable." Jacob had the co-ordinates of Earth committed to memory, so he did not see the panel blink in protest when he entered them, and sent the ship into hyper drive.

"Well, Major Carter managed it twice, sir, so we know it can be done." Griff smiled, just a little bit. Which was kind of weird. "Besides, those Cold War types were all about back doors."

"True enough, Major, true enough," Jacob agreed. "You may as well get comfortable. This ship isn't exactly top of the line. It's going to be quite a trip."

..............................

AN: I have just realized that I am about to embark on writing a story that does not involve a single major character. Also, I am in love with Selmak. She's just so much fun! And I think I invented a word.


	2. Today

AN: You know those stories that come, and then won't shut up and leave you alone? Yeah. I'm sort of wishing I'd done hop-scotch.

The word, for those of you who asked, was "uninfiltrateable".

......................

Today

Mission Report: SG3, Major Griff reporting.

It has taken three days for General Carter's ship to reach the edge of our solar system. If it were not for the fact that my planet has been out of reach for the past thirteen days, I would be very excited. I've never really thought of the Stargate as space travel, and after three days of watching the stars fly by, I am as entranced as ever. According to Selmak, General Carter feels the same way. She said that seeing one's own planet from space is like nothing else. Now that I think about it, Colonel O'Neill said much the same thing to me before the first time I stepped through the Stargate. This is much easier on the stomach.

The worst part of these three days has undoubtedly been the fact that we do not know what awaits us on Earth. Now that we have come out of hyper drive, and just passed Neptune, it is almost intolerable. I can't even spec out our mission in detail, because I don't know what we're in for.

Still, we're Marines, and more, we're SGC.

...............................

Marines, Selmak noted, have much more discipline than certain members of the Air Force she could think of off the top of her head. They did not ask questions, they did not complain, and they did not pace. Selmak was going out of their skull with boredom.

[Be nice,] Jacob reminded her. [They're a little nervous.]

[They are made of stone. Are you sure they are even human?]

[They're Marines.] Oh, but he was infuriating sometimes.

"I'm taking us out of hyper drive." Jacob announced to the cockpit and cargo bay at large. "We're coming up on Neptune.

Major Griff glanced out the window at the great blue planet and then turned his attention back to whatever report it was that he was writing.

[Why does he do that?] Selmak rolled their eyes. [He's one of the first humans to fly this far in space and he's writing reports!]

[Oh, he's excited,] Jacob said. [He's just…]

[A Marine.]

[I was going to say concerned about his friends on Earth. And please keep in mind that there are limits to how far back in the head human eyeballs can roll.]

[I'll work on it.]

[Do.]

Major Griff had finished his report just as Jupiter sailed past, and began gearing up in the cargo bay with the rest of his team.

"Hang on back there. We're going through the asteroid field. When we clear it, our sensors should be able to give us an idea of what's going on with Earth."

The shuttle began to tremble slightly as Jacob wove his way through the asteroid field. The Marines geared up as nonchalantly as if they were only planning to go on a Sunday evening stroll. And Selmak had only the vaguest idea what a Sunday evening stroll was.

"We've cleared the field," Jacob announced. His tone changed dramatically, "What the hell?"

"General?" said Major Griff, entering the cockpit to stand by the window.

"It's not there." Jacob gasped.

"Sir?"

"We have reached the co-ordinates where Earth should be, and it is not there." Selmak took over.

"Abernathy, get up here." Griff called over his shoulder to his scientifically minded 2IC. "What do you mean? Couldn't it just be somewhere else in its orbit?"

"Uh, sir, the moon is right there." Abernathy pointed out the window. "So Earth should be there, uh, too."

"OK, I know almost nothing about astrophysics, but I have heard Major Carter talk about this stuff for almost four years now." Griff also gestured out the window. "If the Goa'uld came and exploded my planet, wouldn't there be something left?"

"Major Griff is correct." Selmak said. "Our scans are coming up completely negative for energy readings, and we would see the debris if such an attack had taken place."

"What about some sort of cloaking shield?" Abernathy asked. "Would your sensors pick that up?"

"I will modify our sensors and send a probe to where the planet should be." Selmak said, their fingers flying over the console. "It will take a few moments."

Major Griff and Captain Abernathy went back into the cargo bay to explain the situation to the rest of their team. Again, Selmak marveled at the equanimity with which they took the bad news.

[I'm not exactly a basket-case, you know,] Jacob protested. [And don't you dare tell me that it's because of you!]

[I was not planning on it.]

"The probe is away," Selmak reported.

"Selmak?" asked Major Griff, coming back into the cockpit, "I don't mean offense, but could I please speak with General Carter?"

"Of course." Selmak bowed their head, and when they looked up it was Jacob who spoke. "What is it Major?"

"Well…" Griff glanced out the window and drifted off. Then he shook himself and kept talking. "Sir, I think that you are more qualified than I am to command whatever this mission ends up being. I think you should take command."

"I can't, Major. Your Jaffa allies will balk if they find out that a Tok'ra is in charge of the Alpha-site, regardless of who her host is." Griff's face fell a little. "What I can do though, Major is advise you. Closely."

"Thank you, sir." The Major sounded infinitely relieved. "It's just that SG-1 usually handles stuff like this…"

"Of course. Although, I don't mind telling you I've never had a planet disappear on me before."

Major Griff nodded and saluted sharply. The console in front of Jacob blinked, and Selmak looked down.

"The probe we launched has passed through the co-ordinates of where Earth should be," she reported, loud enough that Abernathy overheard and came in from the cargo bay. "It has recorded no trace of organic compounds, or even the inorganic compounds found on your planet."

"That doesn't make sense!" Abernathy burst out.

"I am aware of that, Captain Abernathy," Selmak said. "There is an oddity in the sub-space reading. Something has happened to the sub-space around where your planet used to be."

"So Earth could be inside the bubble?"

"That is correct."

"I remember Major Carter talking about the sub-space field that the Stargate generates under certain conditions," Abernathy said. "When they were sent back to 1969, it was because of a solar flare. What if something happened to our own gate, and it did something to sub-space?"

"Are you suggesting that your planet is lost in time, but still at a fixed point in space?"

"I'm not sure," Abernathy shrugged. "It's also possible that there was a massive explosion involving an active Stargate, and the sub-space bubble is masking the debris field."

"Is there any way you can determine which?" Griff asked.

"Well, SG-1 was able to establish a connection from 1969…"

"And we've been dialing home for almost two weeks and getting a busy signal."

Selmak and Abernathy exchanged a look, and then Jacob took over.

"We'll gather what information we have, and then return to the Alpha-site." Griff started to object, but Jacob kept talking. "I know, Major, but we don't have the equipment here to do a proper analysis. This ship is simply too old. Your people at the Alpha-site will have far better luck than we would here."

Griff took off his backpack with a sigh. He knew General Carter was right. If he thought he'd been frustrated by his inability to do anything before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. Griff has understood only the basics of what Abernathy and Selmak had been hypothesizing, but he knew enough to know that this was not going to be his kind of fight. And he was worried that the people whose type of fight it was might be the ones that they were already too late to rescue.

Marines, however, are not trained to dwell on what they do not have. They are trained to make the best of bad situations, and never leave anyone behind. Major Griff was not exactly sure what sub-space was, nor how one got around it, but when his science team figured out a way to get through and determined if there was a mission to Earth to be had, he would be there.

With bells on.

....................

AN: You see that thimble over there? That's where I keep everything I know about astrophysics. And since it all comes from TV, I feel I should apologize to Anyone Who Knows for all the crazy impossibilities I just spouted off.

And wow you guys! Thanks for all the reviews! I had an awful day at work yesterday and it was awesome to find them all waiting for me when I got home. My muse is tickled chartreuse.


	3. Tomorrow

AN: You know those stories that are supposed to be short and funny and then are suddenly neither? Yeah. I knew I should have done hop-scotch

........................

Tomorrow

Mission Report: Temporary SGC, Major Griff reporting.

It has been ninety-nine days since we first failed to make contact with Earth. Colonel O'Neill once told me that on Endora, they mourn their lost for a hundred days, and then they go on with their lives. Tomorrow, General Carter will lower the flags to half-mast, and when we put them up again, this will no longer be a temporary command, it will be the SGC. He and Selmak will stay for as long as they can while we reorganize and meet with our allies.

Our science team was unable to determine which of Captain Abernathy's original theories were correct, even with help from both the Asgard and the Tok'ra. The Asgard ships were no more able to scan Earth than the Tok'ra were, though they too detected the sub-space field. Given that we never established a wormhole to Earth, my 2IC has reluctantly concluded that his second hypothesis is the more likely to be true. Tomorrow, our scientists will program the computer to dial Earth every night at midnight and spend the rest of their time developing and implementing a dialing schedule for the addresses on Dr. Jackson's cartouche. We will resume our explorations, even if they will be scaled back significantly.

There are 257 humans at the Alpha-site, and 139 more on the Beta-site and at various colony installations. The other SG commanders and I have drawn up plans for survival, putting base personnel on agricultural rotations. Tomorrow, we will rebuild our civilization.

........................

"Latin?" burst out Jacob Carter.

"That is correct, General Carter." Teal'c said calmly. "Colonel O'Neill and I were required to remember the translation so we could re-teach Daniel Jackson every loop."

"After we finished convincing them we weren't crazy." Jack O'Neill cut in. "Which took more time than you'd think."

"Dad, you said you were in orbit around Earth but couldn't see it?" Sam asked, sounding intrigued.

"Several times," Jacob answered. "Even more, we launched at least five probes, both Tok'ra and Asgard, and they just went sailing through."

"Wow. I wonder what would have happened if we'd tried to leave the planet by shuttle."

"Carter?"

"Think about it, sir. We could have broken out." She paused. "Or possibly run into the sub-space equivalent of a brick wall."

"We're getting a bit far afield here, people." Hammond broke in. "Jacob, what happened in the rest of the universe while we were looping?"

"Nothing too cataclysmic." Jacob said lightly. "Major Griff took command of our temporary command post at the Alpha-site, and I advised him. He kept detailed reports."

[Hmph.]

[Not while I'm in a meeting please, dear.]

"Anyway, we tried to reach Earth for ninety-nine days," Jacob continued. "I don't think Abernathy slept more than ten hours a week, but even with the Tok'ra and Asgard helping, the science teams came up empty."

"Science wasn't really what got us out of this one." Daniel said, a slight smile on his face.

"It's all in the report, but Abernathy had two theories, and though he couldn't prove it, we were leaning towards the one where there had been a horrible incident of some kind and you were all dead." Jacob sighed. "I'm sorry, but our plan for Day 100 involved your memorial service and a whole slew of field promotions."

"Why is it always a hundred days?" Jack asked. "Why is it never, you know, ninety-seven?"

"It seemed like a good number, sir." Major Griff said, a bit stiffly.

"If you'd gone with ninety-seven, you'd be a Lieutenant-Colonel by now."

"Colonel, actually. We were sort of in need of ranking officers." Jacob said, smiling unabashedly.

[Humans!]

[Hey, you missed us as much as we did.]

[Blending really does not do well with your grammar, does it?]

"I think we'll want to take some of Major Griff's plans for the Alpha-site under consideration," Hammond was saying. "An emergency evac-team could survive on MREs for a while, but we did have agricultural potential in mind when we selected the site."

"And all off-world humans should be given some planet-side leave." Jacob said. "It's been a hectic few months."

"Agreed. I'll make the arrangements." Hammond stood up. "Dismissed."

SG-1, Major Griff and Jacob Carter filed out of the briefing room, already talking amicably amongst themselves. Sam and her father lagged behind, as Jack badgered Griff with questions about how he'd spent the time.

"Does the commissary serve pancakes at this hour?" Selmak inquired politely of his host's daughter.

"I'm not sure," Sam admitted. "But they should have some waffles left over from breakfast. Have you tried those?"

"My primary reason for consuming pancakes is the tradition of lacing them with maple syrup."

"Well then you're in luck," Sam smiled. "We put maple syrup on waffles too."

[You'll rot our teeth.]

[Be quiet.]

"Actually," Sam went on, unaware of her father's plight, "You can also put maple syrup on French toast. My brother used to put it on his bacon and sausages, but I think that's gross. Of course, when I was little, I used to drink it straight, so I shouldn't talk."

[Sam!]

[She cannot hear you.]

"Have you ever tried maple taffy? Or maple sugar?"

"No, Major Carter, I have not." Selmak said sedately. "But I look forward to trying them all."

[At once?]

[I doubt the commissary serves all the foods your daughter has just mentioned.]

[Thank heavens for small mercies. Mind if I have a chat with her?]

[Knock yourself out.]

[I think we need to get you away from these humans and back to the nice, boring Tok'ra. You're obviously being poorly influenced.]

[Just talk to your daughter.]

Jacob realized Sam was looking at him oddly.

"Selmak?" she inquired.

"No, it's me," her father replied. "Come on. Lets go get something to eat. I gather Selmak wants waffles and I haven't had Froot Loops in months."

Jacob never found out why his daughter had laughed so uproariously at his off handed remark, but since he had spent the last ninety-nine days wondering if he would ever hear her laugh again, he decided he could cope with a few jokes he didn't get.

........................

AN: I've been wondering for a while now what MRE stood for. I thought it would be along the lines of "Military Ration….something". Turns out, it's "Meals, Ready to Eat."

I got about half way through the conversation at the end before I remembered that Daniel had been eating waffles, and then I realized I had the perfect ending. I love it when my fluke decisions come back like this!

What did you think?


End file.
